Stuff and Nonsense
by miffstery
Summary: Puck and Rachel 18 months later. He's not part of her plan post-highschool and she's not part of his. But as the old saying goes: The best laid plans...
1. Chapter 1

Rachel sat at the piano idly running scales and arpeggios in the Glee Club music room. She really was talented, Puck thought absently as he entered the room. And hot - if you liked that schoolgirl librarian look she tended to favor - he added to his thought with a smirk before sitting down with his guitar. He liked schoolgirl librarians very much, almost as much as he liked young librarians, like that one at the library in town, she'd seemed to like his muscles, getting out of tearing a few pages from an encyclopedia had been a pleasure for both of them that day…

She watched Puck covertly from the corner of her eye; she still quietly mourned the loss of the Mohawk. She really quite liked the Mohawk, it had been surprisingly soft when they had … no don't think about that she told herself sternly. Every time she thought about making out with Puck in her room 18 months ago she tended to forget her plan. The plan involved Finn Hudson, a nice college with a better than average music program, graduation, a ring, a cake and a fair amount of frothy tulle. She choose to ignore the way her insides seemed to heat up and twist as she caught the end of a particularly satisfied smirk as Puck sat down to start quietly strumming his guitar.

Was it wrong to only think of Finn in terms of a wedding? Another thing she didn't like to think about was the fact that since she and Puck had, well, you know, her fantasies had become less about the physical side of things with Finn and more about the personal standing and potential earning side of things. As she was a sensible girl she filed this away as being a sensible attitude towards relationships and love.

There was no need for either of them to say more than the short 'hi' that both murmured. This early arrival for rehearsal had become something of a habit. Rachel because she had a free period beforehand and she suspected Puck had only just come back from ditching his last math class. She wondered sometimes whether he'd ever manage to graduate from high school let alone get into college.

What tended to happen as they sat was Puck would pick up on the chords Rachel randomly played and most days they ended up 'finding' a song to sing. Today Puck seemed to be in a bright kind of mood Rachel thought with a giggle as she sang the chorus to Britney's "Baby One More Time".

Will smiled as he entered the room; sometimes his 'kids' could brighten up his whole day. Recently Rachel and Puck had been doing most of the brightening. The teacher recognized the gleam in Puck's eyes as Rachel danced and sang in front of him. Will was pretty sure it was a gleam that Puck was unaware of, as unaware as Rachel was of the glow and unusually calm air she wore any time Puck was around. He'd seen his fair share of high school crushes and this one had all the hallmarks of a grand romance, if only one of them was brave enough to _say_ it out loud to the other rather than singing, or dancing around it. He clapped as the song came to an end.

"So guys, any plans for Prom?"

"Yeah, the usual sex, sex and more sex Mr. Shue." Puck said with a laugh. Rachel huffed as Noah clearly expected her to. "Rachel's decided that she'll do the usual girl thing of cry, dance in a circle with her friends, cry."

"Ooh!" Rachel barely managed not to stomp her foot, as always Puck had her going from happy to outraged in less than 2.1 seconds, "If I were going to Prom with you Noah Puckerman I probably would be crying all night!"

"Tears of happiness miss snooty-pants!" Puck grinned and watched in amused delight as Rachel huffed, turned red and then stormed off to a seat across the room. "She digs me, plus her skirt swirls up and out when she turns like that." Puck said with a final wink at and gliss on his guitar.

"At least it will be my _only_ senior Prom." Rachel finally managed to get out as the rest of the Glee crew filled up the room. She instantly regretted saying it as Noah's eyes flashed up once to meet hers and then down to his guitar. She knew some people might be a little embarrassed if they were not eligible to graduate and the number of classes Noah seemed to miss would suggest to anyone that he would not be graduating with the rest of their class. High school would probably be Noah's glory days and Rachel shouldn't belittle that. She resolved to bake him some sugar cookies and apologize tomorrow when Noah slipped out of rehearsal before she could stop him.

Rachel sighed and took one more cookie from the plate she'd carefully arranged a minute ago, now she wouldn't be able to make the cookies form a complete number 20 so she pushed them into a rough circle instead and took a large bite from her own as she climbed the stairs to her room. She'd had the perfect number a few minutes ago, but that was before her baby sister had demanded one of the bright glittery red cookies.

Rachel, as ever, could not resist the warm hazel eyes that pleaded so earnestly, the little chubby arms reaching from beyond their Dad's embrace towards her big sister. It was a killer. Half the time Rachel battled with typical older sibling jealousy, the other half of the time she couldn't get enough of their little Sunshine. Sunshine had seemed such an odd choice for a name when her Dads had told Rachel about her new sister, but now she thought it matched the little cherub's deep strawberry blonde curls and cheerful smile perfectly.

Plus Sunny seemed to love hearing Rachel sing, the one year old always silent as her big sister sang.

At least that was the way it had been until tonight. Maybe it was the red food coloring in the cookie icing, maybe it was a tooth, whatever it was Rachel was close to crying herself after almost an hour of Sunny's mournful cries. The crying had started about fifteen minutes after their Dads had left for a long weekend trip. Her bed and sleep seemed an age off to Rachel as she walked with Sunny in her arms up and down the lounge room floor.

Rachel had just managed to get Sunny to that half asleep hiccupping stage, half passed out on the couch when deep voice behind her said, "Dude, you too? I thought Quinn was the only Glee baby-momma in town." She whirled and looked at Noah in astonishment, Sunny seemed to be just as shocked because she blinked for a moment before starting to cry again, only louder this time. "Whoa this one definitely inherited your vocal projection skills Rach." Noah said with a wince.

"While I applaud the fact that you finally seem to be grasping the basics of vocal theory Noah, what are you doing here and how did you get in?" Rachel asked with a tired sigh as she got up from the sofa and bounced Sunny a little on her hip.

"Spare key, not very safe hiding it under that pot plant." Noah said absently as he studied both the baby and the interesting way the infant pulled on the already low neckline of Rachel's Snoopy pajamas. "So who is this? And nice boo…jim-jams by the way." Damn he hadn't planned on saying that Puck thought to himself as Rachel shifted uncomfortably, clearly not missing that fact that he'd almost said 'boobs'.

"This is my sister Sunny who you just woke up! I've spent hours trying to get her to sleep and you decide to break into my house, with your guitar, and wake her up and talk about my boo...pajamas" Rachel said with a loud sniff and to her horror started crying, which set Sunny off even more. She'd fully expected Puck to back off and slink back out the way he'd come, and he didn't disappoint. What she hadn't expected was that he'd only slunk as far as the kitchen and brought her back some Kleenex which he proceeded to wipe her eyes with.

"Sit down" Noah said and when Rachel didn't he sighed and said it again "Sit down; I'm going to try something which worked for me last time I baby sat."

"You baby sit?" Rachel asked incredulously as she sat, really he was quite forceful in a gentlemanly way when he wanted to be, some small voice in her mind reminded.

"You take money when and where it comes in my world Rachel." He shrugged as he swung his guitar up and started playing a quiet lullaby. Sunny seemed to be trying to resist and he was just playing the final chords from _On My Own_ when her eyes started to close and finally quiet snores interrupted Puck's strumming. Rachel heaved a quiet tired sigh and readied herself to get up and carry Sunny up the stairs to her nursery room. She was surprised again as Noah carefully pushed his Guitar onto the familiar place at his back and reached out to gently take Sunny from Rachel's arms. She got up to follow as he climbed the stairs.

"Which room?" he whispered as they neared the top of the stairs.

"Second star to the right," Rachel answered, she wasn't kidding, stars decorated both her own and Sunny's bedroom doors. She watched as Puck walked into the room which was lit only by a small night light and he gently placed the sleeping baby into her cot and tucked her in securely. She was surprised when he brushed the soft curls from Sunny's forehead and kissed the baby gently.

As he stood up their eyes met and Rachel found it suddenly hard to breathe. She turned and walked quickly back down stairs, trying to catch a breath before Puck joined her in the kitchen. How could she have forgotten? He'd spent weeks, maybe months with a sad wistful expression in his eyes which made every female over the age of seven want to comfort him after Quinn had given their baby girl up for adoption.

She knew for a fact thatnPuck had taken advantage of some of the 'comfort' that had been offered, and Rachel didn't blame him, she'd read that touch could heal a deep pain much faster than words could. In fact she'd been tempted to touch him in a 'special way' on more than one occasion. She looked up and couldn't stop the blush that rose as he walked into the room.

She pushed the plate of cookies towards him and took a deep breath before answering the silent question in his eyes. There was, after all, a large note saying "I'm sorry Noah" propped up in the middle of the plate.

"I was out of line in Glee this afternoon. I don't know what your plans are after high school, if you are leaving school, I mean if you graduate…" She risked a quick look up at Puck to see what he was thinking. She was surprised when she saw his frown and the disappointment in his eyes.

"You still think I'm a Lima Loser Rach?" He looked more hurt than insulted. Rachel felt another sharp pang of remorse. This was the guy who let her talk to him for hours about things he didn't care about, and if she did ask him something or complained about something that happened in school or at home he'd offer no frills totally unsweetened advice. And the advice was usually spot-on. Rachel had a recurring suspicion that Noah was more than just an average jock who sang in a show choir. But she pushed that thought aside to answer his question.

"No I don't mean that, I mean you don't spend a lot of time in class and I… Well are you going to graduate and if you do what are your plans?" Suddenly she felt like it was vitally important to know what his plans were. "And how do you know all the words to _On My Own_?"

"Beyond asking you for a favor, I had no plans, at least not tonight. And I've heard you singing that song often enough when you make goo-goo eyes at Finn to know the words by heart." He pulled out a stool and sat down before leaning his guitar against the breakfast bar and snagging a cookie from the plate. "Why do you want to know about my plans anyway? Like everyone else in this cow town I want out."

"But ditching class to…to…what do you do?" Rachel was distracted by the crumbs caught on the edge of Puck's chin; she had an overwhelming urge to brush them off with her fingertips, just to touch his skin. That was a bit odd, she normally handed Finn a napkin when he ate, just out of habit - he was a messy eater. Unlike Noah, who seemed to keep himself clean, cleaner than most high school boys anyway. But those crumbs… "Uh ditching class won't get you anywhere."

"Isn't this the kind of question you usually save for Finn, when he isn't with Quinn?" Noah brushed away the crumbs with the back of his hand and looked Rachel in the eye. He hated that she still seemed to do everything for Finn; it was like he was some weird yard-stick for excellence in her eyes. Which was stupid. Finn was cool and all, but not the brightest bulb in the box, which was part of his charm as a friend, but someone as smart as Rachel claimed to be should have gotten totally exasperated with Finn's naiveté by now, surely?

"Maybe, but you're my friend too. More of a friend than Finn really." Rachel couldn't believe she'd said that. Did she mean it? Or were her hormones getting the best of her as she watched the play of muscles under his shirt as he plucked other cookie from the plate. Distracted she said the first thing that entered her mind, "Finn and I have a stage romance, its wonderful while we sing, but as soon as the music ends he goes back to being that guy who changes his mind more often than he changes his shirt. But you and I seem to talk, really talk and you know what I mean when I say things like 'stream of consciousness'…"

"Like what you're doing now?" Noah was looking confused. He honestly had no idea where all of this was going, he'd just come over to ask Rachel for a favor and been distracted by the baby and those ridiculous pajamas. He hadn't been insulted at all by Rachel's assumptions about graduation or a lack of graduation, in fact he totally played on that dumb-jock perception other kids at school had of him.

"Sort of, you know I'm starting to think Finn might not be my intellectual match…"

"Y'think?" Puck rolled his eyes and Rachel frowned at him.

"Well I mean he doesn't even like show tunes at all, doesn't get opera…" Rachel got up from her stool and opened the refrigerator, taking out a large slab of chocolate cake.

"Well it is pretty weird the way they sing the whole time." Noah interrupted, thinking that if this was going to be another conversation all about Finn he was going to bail. Unless of course she was going to share the cake, the cake looked good and he hadn't had dinner yet. He was hungry, and the way the light from the refrigerator had silhouetted Rachel's curves had stirred a different kind of hunger. But the cake looked awesome. He realized Rachel was still talking and tried to catch up.

"…And he clearly doesn't appreciate the importance of homework. Do you do homework Noah?"

"Of course." Okay that one slipped out, maybe she'd assume he was lying again. He'd been dazzled by the glow in her warm chocolate brown eyes. "I mean it's totally cool to spend time putting in the research into working out which babe…" Rachel frowned at him and he sighed, "I really do, do homework." He reached for the fork Rachel had got herself and stole a bite of cake.

"Look, football scholarships are actually pretty hard to come by…"

"You could try for a music scholarship now, that is, if your grades are good enough" Rachel added with a wince and Puck shrugged. "Most scholarships require a certain level of…literacy at least. I could help you if you like, maybe tutor you a little I have some time between dance class and Glee and music theory and…" she stopped talking when Puck started laughing. "What?"

"Rach, I'm the last person at McKinley who needs tutoring." He stole another bite of cake before leaning over to get a better look at the frosting, the writing on the frosting to be more exact.

"Why? What do you mean exactly?"

"Well the cemetery is hiring, or I could go for this…" he retrieved a crumpled letter from the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to Rachel before pointing at the cake and asking, "Did this cake used to say 'Happy birthday Rachel'?"

Rachel almost missed her stool, luckily Puck caught her arm and steered her back on course as she read what was in his letter. She nodded absently before pinning him with her patented Rachel-Berry-has-a-question stare.

"You have an early entry offer from Stanford? Stanford!"

"Uh-huh, is this your birthday cake?" Puck swiped at the frosting with his index finger.

"Yes, back to Stanford…"

"When?" Puck looked at the cake, licked his finger slowly and looked back at Rachel.

"When What?" Rachel was getting a little frustrated by now.

"When was your birthday? This is really good cake, great frosting, you should try some Rachel…" Puck took another dab of frosting from the edge of cake and held it in front of Rachel's mouth. She looked down and he watched in awe as her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips before she enveloped the tip of his finger in her mouth.

Their eyes met again and the awareness that always hovered at the back of both their minds leapt to the forefront. Rachel let Puck's fingertip slip from her mouth and sat as far back on her stool as she dared. His eyes had gone an intense shade of green instead of hazel. Oh boy, she was virtually alone in the house with a guy who set off alarm bells in her brain and fireworks in her hormones. Rachel needed to gather herself or in five seconds Noah was going to lose his shirt and possibly pants…

"Tomorrow." She said and was surprised by the breathiness of her answer.

"Tomorrow?" Puck's confused question was huskier than she'd ever heard him.

"My Birthday is tomorrow; we had cake earlier because my dads went away for a long weekend…"

"So we're alone and your 18th birthday is in half an hour?" Puck asked slowly with a quick look at the clock on the wall behind Rachel's head. "You know I totally dig older women."


	2. Chapter 2

Oops forgot to say I have no ownership of these characters or Glee in general. All rights remain with the creators and studio. Humble apologies for any infringements.

**2**

"So what? No party?" There were a couple of balloons in the corner, Puck looked at Rachel inquisitively.

"No, I always found that party's were just an excuse to eat too much and are way too materialistic, and somewhat narcissistic." Rachel let her hair fall forward, he'd seen her do that many times, particularly when she was sad about something.

"You had a party no one came to?"

Rachel sighed and nodded, he always knew. He was like that person who always would know what you were thinking or considering. Maybe he was psychic, or maybe he just understood. "I was five."

"No parties since you were five?" Puck looked incredulous, and then thought about it a bit more. She'd been a loser since grade school. Good thing she was so driven and wanted it all so much. But he didn't think that would make it fine to not have a birthday party. Birthday parties rocked. But she was eyeing the rest of the cake and he wanted it so he distracted her with talk of school. "EPGY." Puck mumbled around another stolen forkful of cake. He'd never taken much notice but Rachel's neck had a really graceful arch, it might remind some people of swans, but basically it reminded Puck of necking on her bed. Her bed was nice.

"What?" Rachel was having a little trouble with coherent thought, Puck was looking at her like he really wanted to touch her but was trying his best not to. Why exactly she had no idea, he'd never not tried to get into her pants. Even the double negative in her thoughts did little to stem the train of rather naughty thoughts steaming through Rachel's brain. Older woman indeed.

In fact Puck was trying his best not to indulge the wants. Okay make that pressing needs (but really that just made him think about it more) of his hormones. He was planning. Planning was important, planning made sure you didn't look like a total douche every day of your life. Planning made sure that you lasted… wait…think of puppies… planning was an integral part of his basic make up. Planning made Puck happen and awesomeness like the Puckster didn't just happen by a chance alignment of the universe; it required the magic of thoughtful and strategic planning.

Secure in the knowledge that he wasn't about to drag Rachel across the breakfast bar and do her on the kitchen floor. At least, not in the next five minutes Puck explained himself.

"I went to, or really go to, school online. So while you're putting up with the stench of 35 of McKinley High's saddest losers in one small room I'm at home in my underwear getting a proper education." He left out the bit about school for the gifted and shrugged at Rachel's open-mouthed surprise, "I only ever went to McKinley for sport and now Glee."

"I can't believe you don't do it naked" Rachel blinked a couple of times as the words slipped from her mind and out her mouth like there was some oiled-up slippery slide in there. Puck choked on another mouthful of cake and Rachel had to pound his back to ease the coughing. "I meant school. Online school."

"Sometimes I have to video conference; it wouldn't do for all those young minds to be hampered by envy every time they saw me. Anyway I came to ask you a favor," he stood and stretched, the movement making Rachel suddenly aware of the fact that her hand was lingering, feeling, assessing…. the breadth of Noah's back "You know I have a little sister right?"

Rachel took a step backwards, earning herself an amused gleam from Noah, before answering; "Yes of course. Rebecca right?"

"Yeah," Noah seemed somewhat chuffed at Rachel's memory, "Well it seems this totally awesome big brother knows 'nothing at all about music and dancing' and totally sucks at helping her to get ready to audition for the school musical. And if anyone knows about auditioning for musicals it's you."

"You need _my_ help?"

"Yeah." He always hated to admit that he needed help, and had thought that asking Rachel could be a big mistake. He'd owe her; he didn't like to owe anyone. By the sparkle in her eye Rachel was excited by the challenge.

"Do you have a schedule? When are the auditions? Do you know who her main competition is? Can she hold a tune? What's the musical? What…?"

"Rach, take a second and chill," he really had to laugh, her eyes were still sparkling and her hands were waving around, and he found that cute, and he didn't want this to get right out of hand because she was going to deflate when he told her: "Its _High School Musical_."

"Really?" She heaved a large sigh as he nodded, "far beyond me to step all over the dreams of the next pre-teen superstar, if she has any of your talent, I'm at least passingly familiar with the genre." Actually she harbored a secret fetish for all things _HSM_, Zac Efron was the perfect pop-crooner. But she'd die before letting Puck know that.

"Great, how about tomorrow, uh, make that later today? Around 10?" Puck suggested with a look at the clock. He had a lot to do before then. Including finding some way to not indulge in a taste of sleepy midnight Rachel.

"It will have to be here, Sunny requires quite a lot of supervision for her age." Rachel sighed. Puck let that one slide; she probably had some story about winning her first dance competition or spelling bee at her sister's age.

"Here's great, Becca's been nagging me to bring her over, she's your biggest fan."

"I won't let her know you told me that then." Rachel smiled and looked towards the front door. Her dads would not be cool with Puck (or the softer Noah) being here when they weren't. Or maybe they would. Right now _she_ wasn't prepared. Winter leg stubble was no joke. Puck seemed to get the hint and picked up his guitar and headed for the door.

He stopped and turned suddenly and Rachel had no time to stop and found herself pressed up against the firmly muscled chest she'd been ogling for the past half hour. Were high school boys meant to be this sexy? Was she supposed to step back, and let her hand fall from where she could feel a small sliver of cold? "You really do have a nipple ring?" the question was out before she could stop it, darn slippery slide in the brain.

"I've told you before how rock-and-roll I am sweets. I forgot my cookies." I forgot how to make my legs work, he thought to himself absently as Rachel's palm warmed his piercing up rather nicely.

"Oh, uh… I'll get a container for you, they'll be easier to carry that way" Rachel said but didn't move. She could feel his heartbeat steady and strong under her hand. She wanted to rest her ear against his chest and listen to it all night. I took her a moment and the rumble of Puck's chuckle to realize that she'd actually done it.

"Don't worry about them, I'll pick them up in the morning." He said with a smile at the top of her head, her hair was a little messy, like as if he'd been running his fingers through it while they…okay if he didn't get his legs to work soon things would happen sooner than he planned. He liked his plan, his plan was awesome, it was like a guitar solo that you never wanted to end, it was… a plan that didn't involve taking Rachel in the foyer of her house. Right.

"Night Rachel Berry, sweet dreams" Noah gently but firmly pushed Rachel away from his chest. The benefits to this were he could now kiss her.

He was definitely going to kiss her, it had been more than a year since the last time he'd tried, and that had been fooling around. Rachel held her breath as Noah leaned down, his eyes riveted on her mouth, her eyelids drifted closed and she could feel his warm breath moments before his hand caressed the same spot on her cheek.

And then it happened. He kissed her, soft as a butterfly, barely touching before stepping back. Rachel's eyes opened slowly and it was all he could do to not pull her back in and give her the make-out session that that look deserved. But he didn't, it wasn't part of the plan. Saying 'Happy birthday Rachel' was and "I'm not sure but I think I saw a grey hair." Was a perfect closing line.

He was out the door and down the path before Rachel could even speak.

Once a Puck always a Puck She thought as she checked herself out in the hall mirror, trying to tell herself that she wasn't looking for grey hairs. But sometimes he let her have a little Noah on the side. The side that gave butterfly kisses at midnight. So far this was the best Birthday ever.

****

[thanks heaps for the reviews – inspires me to write!]


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"Ow!"

"Crap, ow!"

In the sudden silence that followed the two loud cries Rachel considered the slightly surreal position she found herself in.

This was not what Rachel Berry Had expected from her 18th birthday.

She squirmed a little; which only served to bring home the fact that she was currently plastered up against Noah Puckerman's bare slightly sweaty chest and denim encased thighs on the floor of her closet while he seemed to be rendered incapable of voluntary movement by the silent laughter wracking his tightly muscled frame. She reached up to rub the sore spot on her forehead where it had connected with Noah's. This was not right she shouldn't be in the closet with Puck, specially not with him as naked as he was.

"Noah! Hurry up and get out of the closet!" Rachel hissed loudly and was rewarded by more laughing from Puck and Kurt's gleeful snort from her bedroom.

"That is now my new ringtone." Kurt crowed and the rest of the crowd on the other side of the door roared with laughter.

"It would be easier if you got off me Berry, unless of course you're doing that on purpose?" The last was whispered into Rachel's ear and she couldn't stop the shiver of awareness that moved down her spine. Noah mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'Berrylicious'. She felt his muscles bunch and was a little disappointed when she found herself back on her feet with Puck looking down at her with a knowing smile.

"Even if you have barely managed to master the art of walking let alone dancing you could have at least tried to avoid taking me with you when you fell." Rachel brushed ineffectually at her hair. Noah looked at her and rolled his eyes a little. Losing at Dance Party was worth it for the sight of Rachel this disheveled.

"Now where would the fun have been in that?" he laughed as Rachel huffed, "Maybe we could just start the next challenge in here, what's that game? Seven minutes in heaven?" He pulled Rachel back against his chest as she turned and reached for the closet handle.

"Wh…what?"

"I forgot, you never would have got to play," Noah leant down to whisper quietly, "But I'd want a lot longer than seven minutes to show you heaven Rachel." She froze and then melted as he kissed her softly on the neck.

"Wh…what?"

"You know for a girl with a reputation for being able to talk underwater your conversation disappoints a little at the moment gorgeous," Noah's chuckle sent a new trickle of awareness down her spine and Rachel almost cried in frustration as the closet door opened. Mercedes grinned at them from behind Kurt and Tina.

"You both lose." Kurt announced and Rachel looked down at what clothing she had left on. She only had her tank, skirt and underwear left. Silently she undid the clasp of her bra and removed it from under her black tank.

"Awesome." Puck nodded and stepped out from behind Rachel after surreptitiously adjusting his jeans while taking off his last sock. So far his plan for Rachel's birthday had gone almost completely to plan. The closet hadn't been part of the plan but the result was pretty freakin' spectacular he thought as he watched her adjust her top and tidy her hair.

Admittedly it wasn't a group of people that he'd usually have at a party but these were the guys that were still free or even in town on Saturday night. And to give them credit they'd run with idea of given Rachel all the stereotypical teenage milestone parties in one. This game of win the challenge or lose an item of clothing was genius.

Kurt had explained the rules earlier.

"Losely based on spin-the-bottle this game involves a bowl full of challenges. You spin the bottle and thus you have found your opponent in the challenge. The loser must forfeit an item of clothing or an accessory. The challenges are all possible, and you may choose to forfeit an item of clothing if you're not… up to the challenge."

"Dude, that's a little unfair" Puck had waved at his outfit, a plaid shirt over a plain tee, his jeans, shoes and socks and then pointed at Mercedes who had at least three tops, multiple necklaces and watches as well as a skirt, tights, socks and shoes.

"Suck it up princess. Are we ready?" Kurt asked the group; Rachel was surreptitiously slipping bracelets on from her dressing table until he frowned at her.

"Totally" Puck answered as the rest of the guys looked anxious and then a bit excited as he reached for the bowl of paper. He spun the bottle and it landed on Kurt. "You have two minutes to braid Tina's hair into a replica of Princess Leia's signature side buns. She was smoking. Go."

"What?" Kurt looked startled.

"Braid already, one minute fifty left dude." Puck held up his watch and Kurt scrambled over to Tina and managed to complete the task before the two minutes were over. Puck had to admire Kurt and Mercedes' inventiveness, as Rachel narrowly failed to hop on one leg and keep a toilet roll on her head while singing _Popeye the Sailor Man_, he was down to his jeans and one sock, of course he didn't know the lyrics _to Beauty and the Beast_ or how to mix a virgin Cosmo.

Rachel looked away from the sight of Noah sitting half naked on her bed and wondered again how all this had happened. Finding herself plastered across Noah Puckerman's chest on the floor of her closet was not what Rachel had expected when she woke up twelve hours before. In fact the Saturday morning had started in normal boring fashion, with her baby sister crying and left over cake on the kitchen counter. Okay the cake hadn't been normal; in fact it reminded her of the hour before midnight. Even after several previous make-out sessions with Noah, there'd never seemed to be the easy connection they'd had last night.

It had probably just been the fact that she was exhausted and he'd been so nice and now she was suspicious. What did he want exactly? Plus he was playing havoc with her plans, the plans that had Finn and a nice college and a starring role on Broadway after being discovered in their final performance ever of the original membership of WMHS Glee club.

Nearly everything she'd pigeonholed Noah as being had taken on a new perspective. Not that being smart made up for torturing her through freshman year, although she hadn't been special, he'd tortured everyone, including his friends. She had a sneaking suspicion that she was the only one who knew about his college placement offer. But why had he told her?

No matter, she told herself sternly, her plans had always helped her sort out the chaos in her world before, and this time wouldn't be any different, even if Noah Puckerman could probably do string theory in his head. She really shouldn't have been surprised, music was all about math, and so was playing guitar in tune, it relied heavily on special awareness. He must have decided that she was the only one who wouldn't change how she treated him once she knew that his image was a sham. Well not a sham really because he genuinely seemed to enjoy being a jerk, more like a new aspect to his personality that he chose not to share with other people. Except her.

She tried to imagine Finn in the Tom Ford suit she'd picked out for him to wear when they finally went on a date in a city bigger than Boise, and found herself wondering what the tailoring would do for Noah's slightly less gargantuan height but better formed back-side… before sternly telling herself to clean the kitchen and feed Sunny before the baby gnawed her way through the teething ring Rachel had given her. She'd been ready and waiting when He'd arrived with his little sister.

Ready in the sense that she grinned like a fool and almost threw Sunny at him while rambling something about playing outside.

Puck was still trying to work out why he'd been at Rachel's the night before. He could have easily called her; he'd had her number for years because she was fun to prank call. He'd been driving past and seen her walking up and down with the baby. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that he'd been dying to tell someone about the letter in his back pocket. With early placement he could be out of this crappy small town in just a few weeks and with the college credits he'd racked up he'd be done with undergraduate studies in less than eighteen months. He was no genius, just good at math and stuff like math. His plan was to finish with school as soon as possible, get started in the financial markets, make his first million before he turned twenty five and retire at twenty seven to play his guitar and hang out on some beach.

Rachel Berry didn't figure in any part of his plan. So why when he got the letter had she been the first person he thought of? Was it still some sick need to show her that he was worth her time? That he was better and more worthy than Finn of anyone's attentions not just hers? Worth her time? Even with the success of Glee in their second go at Sectionals Rachel's standing in the school barely rated a blip on his radar. And yet there he was playing with her baby sister while his sister got a master-class in musical theatre. At least it was a step up from Hannah Montana he thought with a sigh. But while he played at baby-sitter and Rachel played at teacher the plans he'd set in motion after midnight the night before were starting to fall into place. Checking his cell Puck had grinned at the contents of his inbox.

"One more time, remember to go for the G with power, on three…" Rachel hit the opening chord to When There Was Me And You and listened with a small smile to Becca's sweet soprano. Seemed talent ran in the Puckerman family. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Noah pushing and spinning Sunny around in her baby-trike on the outside terrace. The baby was so rugged up against the chill February air that she could barely move her arms, but she was trying, her squeals of delight could be heard even through the double glazed expanse of glass. Rachel also had a pretty good view of worn seat of Noah's jeans as he bent down to tickle Sunny. She looked away as he caught her staring and smirked. With a mental shake she returned her attention to Becca as she sang the last lines of the song '_Cause I liked the view, Thought you felt it too, When there was me and you_'.

"That was really very good, sometimes you could use your support more from here," Rachel placed a hand on her diaphragm to illustrate, "But that's just being picky." She smiled and Becca glowed.

"Yeah that's what Noah says too, he's not too bad with the coaching but he really doesn't get the pathos of the words. To him everything seems to be about just looking cool." Becca said with a disapproving shake of her head, and Rachel realized that in a few years Becca would certainly be one to watch. They spent a couple of minutes discussing audition tactics before Noah came back in through the back door with Sunny.

"Hey midget, mom'll be here in a couple of minutes," he nodded towards the music strewn about Rachel's family room, Becca glared at him but still got up to pick up the sheet music. "And this is for you, no freakin' way I'm changing that diaper." Puck held Sunny out at arms length towards her big sister, "And while you're at it, pack a bag for the extra small midget, my mom's going to be baby-sitting tonight."

Rachel took Sunny with a confused frown, "What do you mean?"

"My mom, your baby sister. Mom called your dads and they are happy for mom to watch her for a couple of hours, said something about a feminine touch," Puck explained with a shrug. He picked up a sheet of music Becca had missed and held it out to her.

"But why?" Rachel ignored the fact that Sunny was reaching chubby arms out to Puck and making cooing noises. The fact that most women wanted to hold their arms out to him made the fact that Sunny seemed to like him that much, not all that surprising. Rachel had to try harder to ignore the pang of, no that couldn't be jealousy when he grinned and ruffled the baby's hair.

"Because once you change that baby, we're going to be irresponsible young adults and have a party while your parents aren't here. That's why."

"Oh."

If he'd known how easy it was to render Rachel speechless he would have tried it much sooner. He had to admire that although panic flashed across her expressive face, she managed to control herself long enough to get Sunny and all the mounds of crap the baby seemed to need for a couple of hours ready for when his mom arrived.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present Puck reached for the paper filled bowl and asked, "So what's left in here, I'm not going to have to give Artie a lap dance or something am I?" He laughed to himself at Tina's slightly stricken look.

"Kiss the person the bottle is pointing at for 90 seconds. Make it believable – the group will judge your success." He spun the bottle and it landed on Kurt.

Kiss Kurt? No problem the guy was basically a girl. He stood up and Kurt recoiled.

"Okay wait, as much as I appreciate…everything" Kurt waved vaguely at Puck's chest, "If anyone asked I'd have to be honest and tell them that yes I had kissed Puck. And I don't think even you could withstand the backlash from the 'Puck-heads'".

"Maybe," Mercedes laughed, "But you have to kiss Rachel, remember no spinning because you both lost. But I don't think that's much of a challenge, Rachel you pick one from the bowl and we'll choose which one you have to do."

Damn. Wait she shouldn't be disappointed that she wasn't going to get to kiss Noah, should she? She tried to bring up the image of Finn that had always helped her resist Noah in the past and all she got was something resembling a Ken doll. And he was looking at her like he knew what she was thinking. Was that because he was thinking the same thing, well not the Finn-Ken doll thing but the kissing thing?

"…whoever wins gets to keep both socks." Mercedes finished reading the last scrap of paper from the bowl. "The loser must then give the winner whatever they want. If neither of you manages to win in three minutes, we choose."

"So we put on a pair of socks and wrestle to see who can remove the other person's socks first?" Puck summarized, Rachel looked like she wasn't paying much attention. He bounced up onto his feet and clapped his hands "Let's do this."

"But I don't wrestle…" Rachel said forlornly as Artie handed her a fresh pair of long socks

"You do now." Puck grinned again while putting his socks back on. He bent down to whisper into her ear. "I'm so not losing because I have nothing on under these jeans, its Puckerman au naturel if I lose." He took advantage of Rachel's shock and had one of her newly donned socks off in less than ten seconds.

"Ohh you cheated!" Rachel huffed and realized that he was distracted by the fact that she had no bra on, she took full advantage and he was minus a sock before he knew it. Rachel was clinging to his arm as he reached down her leg for the frilly pink lace of her sock. She was quite agile he noted as she squirmed away. Plus he was a little hampered by the party going on in his 'gentleman's area'. He could feel every inch of her against his back as she tried to get to his foot.

"Sixty seconds!" Artie announced and Puck took a second to breathlessly whisper into Rachel's ear, "let me win and I promise to sing with you in the senior concert."

"Sing what?" Rachel whispered back.

"Anything."

"Ricky Martin?"

His answer was another attempt at her sock, it was half off before she managed to get her hands on his sock covered foot, forcing him to let go of hers. "When I win I'm going to ask you for something you don't want to give"

"What?"

"You know." Their gazes collided and Rachel looked away first. Puck found himself hoping that what she thought he wanted was something that involved getting intimately acquainted with his chest again, or her chest… Actually want he really wanted was her honest advice.

"Five…four…three…two…one!"

"You two disappoint me." Kurt tsked. "We decided while you were wrestling that your punishment will be to wear these for the rest of the night" He held up the novelty pink hand cuffs Rachel's aunt had sent her for her birthday.

"We'll freeze you jerk," Puck complained but it was halfhearted. He'd lost a wrestling game to a girl, no worse he'd lost to Rachel. He was impressed by her flexibility, and he was not thinking that in this room with these people. Why did she have hand cuffs?

"I have three words for you: share body heat," Kurt answered with a chortle of glee before he handcuffed Puck's right hand to Rachel's left.


	4. Chapter 4

As always: I own nothing relating to Glee or the actors.

Thanks for the reviews; I take all suggestions, comment and offers of help on board. Thanks again, hope you enjoy a return to our normal programming

**4**

"Dude as much fun as it is watching Rachel decide whether to be deliriously happy or totally bummed about being shackled to the Puck-meister, undo these things, now." Puck lifted his, and Rachel's, hand to indicate the handcuffs.

"I can't." Kurt shrugged apologetically. Rachel made a small sound like a lost kitten.

"What do you mean you can't?" Puck's head tilted and the rest of the Glee kids took a step backwards.

"Well, I put the keys in that purple box Rachel has over there behind you and you're in the way…"

"You _what_?" Rachel turned suddenly to look where Kurt had pointed, "Say you're kidding Kurt. Because if you're not this is going to be…uncomfortable." Rachel dragged Puck the couple steps to her dresser and pointed to a smallish box; "This one?"

"Yes?" Kurt answered slowly. Puck watched as the color drained from Rachel's face and her shoulders sagged.

"What?" Puck asked, when she didn't answer he tugged at the handcuffs until she was close enough for him to tilt her head with a finger under her chin. Expecting to see something else he was surprised at the panic in her eyes. She frowned at him before pushing him to one side to get a better line of sight on Kurt.

"Kurt, that box is a 'Consideration Box'." There was a collective gasp of dismay and then the Tina and Mercedes were out Rachel's bedroom door with Artie and had him halfway down the stairs before Puck could ask what the hell a 'Consideration Box' is.

"What the hell?"

"It's a box that locks for twelve hours." Rachel explained... a little.

"And what kind of lame-o-loser purpose is it for?" Puck asked, he was getting a little exasperated and he halted Kurt's careful exit towards Rachel's bedroom doorway with a glare, when neither Rachel nor Kurt spoke he actually growled.

While Rachel had to mentally condemn Puck's descent into Neanderthal-like grunting, she had to admit that it was kind of a turn-on. She reminded herself that Finn should be the guy she found manly and sexy, no matter that Noah's chest and delightfully muscular arms gleamed gold in the light from her bedside lamp.

"My dads decided I was spending too much money on show tickets and other performing arts related material," like signed posters of Hugh Jackman and a catsuit that Elaine Paige actually wore during a performance of Cats, at least the e-Bay seller said it was, anyway "So now I have to lock my credit card in the box to give me time to decide whether I really need….the stuff I want to buy." Rachel finished her explanation with a sigh.

Kurt squared his shoulders and brushed his hair to one side before saying "Then I guess you two are stuck together for the next twelve hours then, happy birthday Rachel, thank you for the invitation Noah." Kurt was out the door and Puck would have followed him if it wasn't for Rachel sitting down on the edge of her bed with a large sigh. The others called out their good-byes and the front door slammed.

"I knew this was all too good to be true, a birthday party where people came because they wanted to and I end up crying in my room. They really did want to come didn't they?" Rachel turned large liquid eyes on Noah and he sat down next to her, his weight causing her to rock into his side.

"All I said to them was that it was your birthday today and that maybe we might want to get you food and some more cake, but Tina and Mercedes ran with the idea of a party. Guess they think you're worth it. _I_ think you're worth it, if that means anything."

"Of course it means something Noah. I mean you organized a party for me and a babysitter…oh no, Sunny!" Rachel bounced off the bed but was ricocheted back into Puck's side when she forgot that they were attached at the wrist. "I have to get Sunny…" Rachel was a tad distracted by her nose being so close to Noah's bare bicep. He seemed to be a little bit cold, in fact - he shivered. She could offer him a blanket, or to share body heat as Kurt suggested earlier. She really shouldn't want to, but she really, really, did.

"No you don't." Puck said with a quick shake of his head.

"What?"

"You don't have to pick Sunny up, remember you packed enough baby crap for a two week sleepover."

"Sleepover?" Rachel couldn't keep her eyes off the hollow at the base of Noah's neck; it made it very hard to keep track of what ever it was he was talking about.

"Plus my mom's not expecting us back," Noah shrugged and Rachel did what any sensible young woman with a pulse would do, she touched the centre of his chest, touched and then spread her fingers outwards until her palm touched his warm skin. And then he moved; his muscles flexed under her hand in a most interesting fashion. Although neither Finn nor Jesse lacked for muscles; Noah's seemed to be much more solid more… Alive.

"Back?" Rachel looked up from staring at the skin beneath her fingers and Puck found himself rapidly repeating his plan over and over in his head. She was not part of the plan. No, not at all, not even the rapid pulse beat he could see flickering at the base of her throat or the flush that crept from under the precariously low neckline of her tanktop.

"Back?" he reached up with his left hand to brush Rachel's hair back from her face and found himself cupping the back of her head and gently urging her closer.

Rachel couldn't catch the sigh that escaped as Noah angled his head to kiss her; oddly enough it felt kind of like coming home as his lips hovered precariously close to her own. Noah Puckerman was the last person anyone, let alone a girl alone and handcuffed to him in her bedroom, should feel at home with.

But he always made her feel this way, a jumble of excitement from the risk his bad-boy persona advertised stemming from the rumors regarding his experience and skill at applying the knowledge he'd gained from years of booty-calls, delicious tinglings of fear at his size and strength, knowing that if he wanted he could make you do almost anything he choose but always knowing he never would, and that's where the feeling of being safe and protected came in, followed by the knowledge that this was a guy who choose to sing love songs to express himself. And he had a smile that when genuine could light up a whole room.

He felt right, and always had felt right in her room, no uncomfortable silences, and honest conversation and at times like these, pure unadulterated lust. Lust? No Noah shouldn't equal lust, what about Finn? What about, oh dear if he didn't actually kiss her soon instead of hovering Rachel was probably going to throw him down on her bed and have her wicked way with him. Never mind the fact that even after two hormonally supercharged boyfriends she was still at the same V status as she had been when joining Glee, there was nothing wrong with what would have to be, because he wasn't part of her plan, mindless sex. Nothing wrong at all, and oh God his lush lips felt so good trailing small kisses across her cheek and neck, how could anyone ever consider this sort of thing a sin? She understood all over again why Quinn had let Puck into her bed or backseat or wherever it was…

*CRASH*

"Eeek!" Rachel jumped and screamed as the loudest thunderclap she'd ever heard shook the house. She looked up as Noah laughed. "What? That was loud. And more than a little surprising and a little unsettling considering I was thinking… stuff... thoughts" Rachel smoothed down the front of her top and remembered the fact that she was currently braless. How could she forget again that he was not part of her plan? For one thing in a couple of months he would be on the other side of the continent in California while she would be in New York at Tisch. Her plan did not have room for a long-term what ever this would turn out to be.

"What stuff?" Noah sighed and shifted back a little, giving Rachel the distance she seemed to need, but he was still Puck, "Were you thinking sex 'thoughts' about me? Because don't let me stop you acting out on your impulses." He flinched a little as lightning lit the room and then Rachel screamed as thunder clapped and then screamed again as the lights flickered and went out completely. The only things glowing in the room were the stupid purple consideration box and Rachel's phone, which bleeped once mournfully and then died on its charger. "I think your phone is fried sweets. And if you don't loosen your grip on my arm soon I might lose it to consumption."

"Gangrene, you'd lose it to gangrene."

"I know; I just wanted to make sure you hadn't lost all your marbles when the lights went out _and_ the central heating. I'm going to lock Kurt in a locker for consideration on Monday at school. I'm cold." Puck wasn't kidding; the temperature was dropping like cheerleaders behind the bleachers at homecoming.

"Me too." Rachel agreed around the chattering of her teeth.

"You're cold?"

"Yes but no; I'm going to lock Kurt in a locker, and then I'm going to fill his iPod with Nickleback, Lindsay Lohan and Michael Bolton's complete back catalogue." Rachel fumed, at least anger made her warmer, that and jumping up and down a little on the spot. Noah's hand brushed against her thigh every time she moved, but that wasn't the worst thing that could happen, unlike freezing to death and being found frozen like a popsicle by her dads when they got home on Monday night handcuffed to Puck.

"Wow you're really mean." Puck wasn't kidding, something like that could break something in Kurt. But it was sexy as hell knowing that Rachel could be just as Machiavellian as he could when she allowed herself to be. He really was getting cold, and being handcuffed to Rachel meant he couldn't pull on a shirt. "Do you guys have a fireplace?"

"Sure, it's in Daddy's den." Rachel answered, as his eyes adjusted Noah could make her out, dimly lit by the purple box. The box, it looked pretty flimsy. Puck reached out to pick it up and threw it at the floor. He had to admit to a little disappointment when the thing didn't instantly break and give up the key, so he stepped on it, and then jumped on it. Nothing, except he was a little warmer. He also had to admit that something about being shackled to Rachel was a little warming to his soul. Did he really just think that? To bring Puck back Noah thought about cars and MILFs and gave up when none of that worked and allowed himself to toast a while near to Rachel Berry's inner fire. "Shall we?" Rachel asked before pulling the comforter and blankets from the bed and he allowed himself to be led downstairs.

"Daddy likes to come in here to read and pretends to smoke; we don't let him really smoke because apart from being bad for his health, it's bad for everyone." Rachel was talking fondly as Noah checked the fireplace by the light of the torch Rachel had found. Everything looked okay and Rachel had said they used it quite often and recently. He struck a match and lit the carefully laid fire.

As the flames started flickering brightly Rachel and Puck looked everywhere but at each other. It was one thing to be shackled against your will in Rachel Berry's bedroom - the decoration of which would still do any ten year old girl proud. It was another thing altogether to be handcuffed together while half naked in front of a large fireplace that was complemented by a thick, soft looking, rug and comfortable sofa built for making out.

They both jumped as Puck's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and mouthed 'Mom'.

"Yeah, yeah, okay… Really? She wants to talk to you," Puck held out the phone to Rachel.

"No… really… I'm so sorry… yes those hazel eyes will talk you into anything…" Rachel looked up from her conversation with Noah's mum and was distracted by the beautiful set of hazel-brown eyes looking right at her with an unreadable expression. "Sorry, uh… no allergies but we try to avoid things like nuts and egg, oh and dairy, but I'm pretty sure she's scammed a lot of those things from my dads. Yes, no, we won't try driving in the storm… bye, see you tomorrow..!" Rachel half shouted the last when Puck grabbed his phone back.

"Bye mom… yeah… you don't need to… not until I'm thirty. Love you too." He hung up and the look he gave Rachel dared her to ask.

"What until you're thirty? She doesn't think you're still a virgin?"

"Maybe she was talking about babies." Puck suggested wryly.

"Oh right, yes well." Rachel didn't know where to look; Noah's mum thought they might get into a situation where they'd have to consider a baby as a consequence of their actions? What would a baby do to her plans? Quinn had managed to get back to a point where it was hard to believe she'd ever not been a Cheerio, but she'd had a couple of years to do it. If Rachel had a baby now, college would be delayed and from there everything might be delayed and in an industry like musical theatre if you hadn't made it by the age of thirty you probably never would. "Are you warm yet?"

"Only the half facing the fire."

Puck said and grabbed one of the blankets to wrap it around his shoulders before doing the same for Rachel and sitting down on the sofa, half dragging her with him. Soon they were tucked in up to their chins. It felt more than natural when Noah twined their fingers together. She smiled as he huffed and then maneuvered himself until he was lying down with Rachel snuggled into his side and their clasped hands under his blanket, resting just below his heart.

Minutes passed in a bizarrely comfortable silence and Rachel was getting mesmerized by the flames as she tried to reconstruct the careful plans she'd made, the center-pin of which was _supposed_ to be Finn. But she was having trouble concentrating over the sound of Noah's quiet humming. It wasn't a song she recognized, and anyone could tell you that that was a rarity. She turned her head, resting it on their hands, to ask "What song is that?"

Noah paused before answering, to be honest he hadn't realized that he was humming, he'd been lost in his thoughts, considering his future, his plans and how Rachel Berry was dangerously close to upsetting all those plans. Thinking about the song, and in some ways thinking much more about the fact that it might let Rachel into his thoughts even more than she already seemed to manage, he answered.

"It's Missy Higgins' version of _Stuff and Nonsense_ by Split Endz, they were big in the eighties college music scene when my mom was sorta cool. She used to sing me to sleep with it."

"Sing it for me?" Rachel asked quietly.

_Disobey my own decisions  
I deserve all your suspicions  
First it's yes and then it's no  
I dilly dally down to duo  
But I've got no secrets that I babble in my sleep  
I won't make promises to you that I can't keep_

And you know that I love you  
Here and now not forever  
I can give you the present  
I don't know about the future  
That's all stuff and nonsense

I once lived for the future  
Every day was one day closer  
Greener on the other side  
Yes I believed before I met you  
But I soon learned your love burned brighter than the stars in my eyes  
Now I know how and when, I know where and why

And you know that I love you  
Here and now not forever  
I can give you the present  
I don't know about the future  
That's all stuff and nonsense

His eyes never left hers as he sang.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to Glee or the actors.

**5.**

"Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"That was beautiful."

"Y'know what Rachel? So are you."

"Are you trying to get into my pants?"

"Why? You want me to try?"

"Do you want to try?"

"That depends."

"On what exactly?"

"Whether or not you'll let me."

"Do you mean let you try or actually let you get into my pants?"

"Totally the second option."

"I didn't know we'd agreed on options."

"The very fact that we're talking about this means that you've already considered option one and the fact that you want me to qualify whether my intentions are to go for your first _or_ second option tells me that you've considered both. More than once if I know you, you would have had this conversation in your head at least twice before opening your mouth."

Dark brown eyes met dark hazel and clung there for a while.

"This might seem a little judgmental, but aren't you going out with someone at the moment?" Rachel let out a puff of air at the end of her question, being wedged into Noah's side was at once cozy and at the same time her nerve endings were tingling off the scale.

"Well knowing that you know more than you should about my personal life, I'm surprised you don't know that I'm not actually seeing anyone at the moment." Noah answered with a shrug.

He surprised even himself with the honest answer; it was true he didn't have any attachments. The constant merry-go-round had lost its attraction for him a while ago. Around the time Mr. Shue forced him to sing Rick Springfield's _Jesse's Girl_ in front of the whole damn school as punishment for making Finn cry. This wasn't hard because the dude was a pansy when it came to things like too much cayenne pepper in his food. Admittedly Finn coughing up a lung the day before regionals was probably not helpful to New Direction's chances. Finn had recovered quickly enough. It was something they'd done to each other since freshman year in middle school after all.

"Okay…booty calls?" Rachel asked slowly. Did she really want to know? Ninety percent of the female population at the school wanted a piece of Puck, including teachers. And he was a guy; Rachel knew from personal experience that given the opportunity a guy or girl could be tempted to partake of anything offered up to you on a plate.

"Always, but nothing serious. I _am_ a guy Rachel." And didn't she know it.

"Just because it's offered doesn't mean you have to accept you know. Don't you ever feel used?" She asked softly.

"Only once or twice," being _accused_ of being a baby-daddy for one, Rachel's music video assignment for another. "I don't know about you, but I find it kind of enjoyable. Fun even, you should definitely try it, if you haven't already."

"Well I…" Rachel didn't know what to say, she thought she probably would find it fun, with the right person at the right time in the right place with the right music. Planning could only enhance the success, right? She caught Noah looking at her with a strange expression, like he'd just thought of something disturbing.

And he had. He'd just realized that sex wasn't as fun as it had been; maybe it was the knowledge of how badly it could derail your life, your plans and your sanity in terms of potential outcomes, like babies or diseases. Not that he had diseases (and had the test results to prove it) but maybe it was a part of growing up and stepping into maturity a little. Honestly he hadn't been with anyone for a while, months he realize with a shock, he'd even turned a cheerleader from an opposing team's squad down just the other day and she'd been smoking hot. But wait what was Rachel saying? She hadn't protested either way that she had no idea or that she did find it fun. She'd slept with that Jesse guy, he was sure that's what Finn had told him.

"So have you?"

"Have I what?" Rachel was starting to look flustered, she could tell, her cheeks felt hot from the flush she knew she had. Noah's eyes closed a little, she recognized that look, that was his snake-charmer, and she was the snake.

"Have you done it yet? Like with Jesse?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about…Noah!" The last word was a squeak as Noah shifted on the couch and she found herself pinned beneath him.

"Did he kiss you here?" He kissed the side of her jaw, his tongue just grazing her skin before he lifted his head, "Or here?" he dipped lower to place a kiss on her collar bone. "Or maybe you like it a little bit…rough" he pushed her blanket aside and nipped her shoulder gently, instantly soothing the spot with a soft butterfly kiss.

"I… He… We… No." Rachel gasped as Noah shifted slightly, his thigh sliding between hers.

"No he didn't or 'no stop?'" Noah asked into her ear.

"He didn't, none of it." Please don't stop she pleaded silently.

"He didn't?" Noah stopped kissing the side of Rachel's neck long enough to look at her incredulously. "You guys spent hours together, what were you doing?"

"Singing mostly, sometimes planning outfits, routines, you know." Rachel avoided meeting Noah's eyes.

"No. I don't know, you let him up there into your bedroom for hours on end and he wanted to play dress-ups instead of dress downs?" Jesse really had been a loser, "If _we'd _been together for much longer you would have had to wear a damn chastity belt and keep the key in that stupid box of yours to keep me from seeing just how loud…"

"Noah!"

"Admit it, you're a screamer."

"I don't think so."

"You don't _think_ so?" Alright, he'd admit it - Mr Shue hadn't forced him to sing Jesse's Girl; he'd really been given an assignment to find a song from the eighties that most summed up what was wrong with Glee at that moment in time. No one would admit it but between himself and Rachel if you drew some kind of hook-up map they'd have the entire original twelve linked and re-linked multiple times, so half the problem had been the guys vying for the girls' attention, in other words being even more juvenile than they had been before. So what if the words had resonated more than he thought they would. Truthfully she was the one that got away, so to speak. But right now he reminded himself this wasn't about him, it was about her. He shouldn't really ask, he was pretty sure of the answer but he was pretty sure it would make her blush… Again. "Rachel Berry, are you still a virgin?"

"Why should I tell you?" Rachel wriggled out from under Puck and sat up, wrapping her blanket a little bit tighter. Why didn't she want to tell him? It was nothing to be ashamed of. Just because he was so experienced and she was curious and… no he didn't _need_ to know so she wouldn't tell him.

"Why not? You know I don't tell." Puck asked seriously.

He was right she admitted silently and then nodded; the only times she could remember him letting anything slip was when he was under enormous emotional pressure, the sort of pressure that meant you had to tell someone and he couldn't really have told his best friend about sleeping with his best friend's girl friend and, well everyone knew how that story ended. The very fact that girls who threw themselves at Puck never got a bad reputation said a lot about the fact that he didn't brag, at least not in specifics.

"Why is it important to you, are you looking at me like some untapped resource?" Rachel went back to old habits, attack with words first when under pressure, apologies later if required.

"Not exactly." Noah stretched like a cat, taking Rachel's arm with his as he lifted both arms above his head. "Oops sorry."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of me being an untapped resource for you. Surely you're at least a little bit curious..?" he scratched his shoulder, Rachel rubbed the shoulder he'd bitten, but stopped when she realized she was doing it and frowned at him sternly, he was doing that on purpose.

"I grew up in a household of two men; male anatomy is not a mystery to me Noah."

"I meant curious about what I could do for you, to you or with you." Noah didn't fail to miss the flash of interest in Rachel's eyes before she hid behind her hair. "Plus it's early."

"It's 10.30."

"It's _early_ and it's still your birthday. And I never gave you your present."

"What?"

"Your present, you know the traditional gift the birthday girl gets from a person who attends her birthday party." Noah shook his head and then dragged her up from the couch in one smooth movement.

"Have we changed conversations?" Rachel looked as confused as she felt. A minute ago he was asking, okay – suggesting that he could try to make her scream. He'd already made her scream at least once, but she guessed sock wrestling didn't count. When he turned to pick up the torch she couldn't help but admire the way he moved.

"Are you checking me out? And no, that question is still hanging." Noah led the way into the foyer and picked up a small parcel, wrapped in pink floral paper and handed it to Rachel. "Becca wrapped it for me."

"Pink is my favorite." Rachel said and started to unwrap it.

"Wait, we should sit down again." Noah led the way back to the couch, his fingers twined loosely around her much smaller hand. He sat and looked down at small gift and back up at Rachel's face as she unwrapped it. For a while she looked a little bit confused and he started to doubt the idea that he had thought was pretty inspired at the time. He missed the moment when her face changed so was caught by surprise when she smothered him with a hug.

"It's a pink plectrum!" Rachel screamed in his ear before planting a big kiss on his mouth. She hadn't planned that one, but was pleasantly surprised when Noah kissed her back; in fact she leant into the kiss a little more. His lips were firm but still soft, and he tasted a little bit like chocolate cake. But he'd given her a plectrum, which meant, "You're going to teach me how to play a song on the guitar for my audition?" She needed another instrument, piano wasn't enough; she needed something portable to accompany herself. "How did you know?"

"I read you know, I checked the auditions process. It was give you guitar lessons or watch you try to convince Kurt to let you touch his harp. And much as I'd enjoy watching that, I thought maybe this might be something I could give you." Noah shrugged.

"Can you teach me that song you sang before?" Rachel asked quietly.

"It's not really your style."

"Exactly." She sighed. "It should be like you revealing that you could sing. Hit them with what they aren't expecting and they'll never forget." She could see it now, she'd be on stage having blown them away with her stage ballad she'd pick up Noah's guitar from it's stand and play _Stuff and Nonsense_ and they'd be pleasantly surprised and then even more when a distinctive male bari-tenor joined her for the chorus, the vibrato in his voice adding another level of texture to the... wait, when did Noah start featuring in these daydreams?

"Hey Rach?"

"Yes Noah?"

"Do you think I could make it, not at Stanford, but in… Hollywood?"

"'Star potential' you mean?" Rachel looked at Noah seriously. This was the question she'd been sort of expecting from when he turned up the night before with his early acceptance. "I think you could do anything you set your mind to, because you do. You don't even realize that it's always you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean everyone is always telling Finn that he's a leader, that if he steps up everyone will, or if he joins Glee everyone will. The fact is though Noah is that he joined and no one else did, Quinn joined more to keep Finn away from me and Brit and Santana joined because Sue told them to I'm pretty sure Mr Shue coerced Finn in some way, but when you joined, you joined because you wanted to and everyone else came along for the ride.

"Remember Finn couldn't even get the football team to dance until you showed the other guys it was okay, you sang a love song, by yourself in front of everyone. You're probably the most charismatic guy I know. You definitely have star potential written all over you." Noah was silent as Rachel finished, "I think that if you want to do something other than the thing that will guarantee make you the most money, you should. Do you know that the only time you really smile is when you're singing in Glee?"

"I smile all the time."

"No, you _charm_ most of the time, it's probably the only reason you've never been kicked out of school. Your smile is like sunshine when you sing."

"Sunshine?" Noah said a little incredulously. Her honest opinion was that he was talented and like _sunshine_? That was good right?

"Warm too."

"Warm?"

"Noah the thing that will make you a star in Hollywood, or wherever you choose is, that fact that people want to be around you, even when you're being a jerk, if only to get a glimpse of the fun guy with the warm sunshine smile that you let out every once in a while. Oh, and yes."

"What?"

"My answer is yes." Rachel unconsciously touched her new plectrum to her lips. Noah didn't need any more help to focus on her lips; he wanted to check if she really did still taste like chocolate cake. But what did she mean?

"Yes to what?"

"All of your questions."

[A/N _– please review if you have the time – it's the only way I'll know if you like or dislike something. Thanks a bunch for reading! - Miff]_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing relating to Glee or the actors.

**Please note** that there's a little bit more NC- naughty content than in the other chapters (see the story rating).

**6.**

If you'd told Rachel Berry 48 hours ago that she was about to have one of the seminal moments of her life on the rug of her Daddy's den in the middle of a wild storm that had blacked out the town she might have believed you… Just. But if you'd said the scene would include a pair of deceptively serviceable pink fluffy handcuffs and Noah Puckerman she probably would have thought you were insane.

As it was she was_ involved_ and she couldn't believe it.

She watched as Noah sat forward on the sofa, he was staring into the fire. Not figuratively; he was actually staring into the fire. The yellow light flickered across his strong features, highlighting the strength of his jaw and the soft sculpted perfection of his lips. Rachel made a small mental note to stop reading trashy romances. Those things never mentioned things like the fact that her hands were shaking so hard she'd be hard pressed to drink the glass of water she was dying for. A dry mouth, sweaty palms and butterflies the sizes of elephants were all sure signs of stage fright, and just fear in general, but also excitement. Her heart rate was so fast she was pretty sure Noah could hear it.

What was she doing saying 'yes'? She knew it wasn't going to be just a momentary thing. Noah had never been momentary, but it took until she'd said yes for her to realize just how dangerous Noah was, not physically but to her plans, he could easily derail them, heck he could send her off to parts unknown with one look from those hazel green eyes. She'd broken it off with him in sophomore year because she'd been convinced that Finn was The Guy, and because Puck was kind of a jerk, but not so much of a jerk that he'd ever really pressured her to 'put out'. Sure he'd asked, and made some crack about being like a moth that had to get with the girl moth before he died by the light of the porch light or something equally nonsensical.

But until now she'd never even considered that her rejection of Puck was to protect herself and her plans from Noah. Noah who would sit and sing stupid songs with her for hours after Glee practice, or even before. Noah who moved the Glist from her locker so she didn't have to see it. It was also Noah who sat next to her on every Glee bus trip if Jacob Ben Israel was on fro the ride and Noah who had driven her home and let her cry on his favorite black tee when her heart had been broken, not once but twice by Jesse, and never told anyone about it. It was Noah, not Puck, who offered to teach her to play guitar and gave her a pink pick to do it with. It was always Noah that she sought out with her eyes first whenever she needed confidence. It was rare for Rachel to have someone to talk to and even rarer to find someone she could talk to without even talking, that someone had been Noah for a while now.

What the hell was she doing saying 'yes'? Usually about this time, Puck would have had the average girl down on that rug minus most of her clothing and seconds away from moaning his name by now. But Rachel had said yes, usually about this time she'd be offering him some food to distract him from wanting to get into her pants. This was the girl, make that woman, who had turned him down more often than he'd stolen lunch money from dweebs. This was the girl who had no qualms about telling him he was a jerk. More importantly this was the girl who had never featured in his long-term plans only his dreams - which he'd had no control over - and he was pretty damned sure he'd never featured in any of her Finn-tastic daydreams. And now here he was looking into the fire and not just literally, Rachel was like a candle, she looked all pretty but you let your fingers get too close and she burned. She could burn a whole in his plans like no one else could. He'd even asked about Hollywood, no one else knew he'd even considered it.

Okay so you could say it was his mom's idea to seduce Rachel but she wasn't the only Jewish girl in school and certainly not the easiest or most available. His subconscious had suggested Rachel in a dream, he wasn't one to have dreams about girls that didn't end up with, well, at least his hand involved. Rachel was the only girl he'd ever made out with without an agenda, or without the girl having one. Maybe Rachel did have one now, it would make it easier, easier to fool himself that this was not a plan-busting freakin' life-shaping moment.

"Why?"

"What?" Rachel looked startled, why had Noah asked why?

"Why say yes now?" Noah prayed that she had some long winded speech that he could tune out half way through and rest assured in the knowledge that she, like nearly everyone else, was about to use him for whatever reason she wanted. He _almost_ had himself convinced.

"Why are you even asking? I mean you've been asking to get into my pants for years now." Rachel tried to lift her hand to run it through her hair and failed when she got to the short end of the chain connecting the handcuffs. She flinched a little as Noah lifted his other hand to do it for her, brushing the hair back from her eyes and looping it behind her ear. "I could say that the sight of your half-naked body has finally worked its magic on me, or I could say that I'm curious to see how the Puck-zilla rolls or I could say that I'm eighteen about to go off to college and I'd rather not be the slightly geeky loser girl who never lost her virginity at school because no one wanted it…"

"That's a crock I know for a fact that…" Noah shook his head and held up his hand to start counting off the guys he knew for a fact wanted to get into Rachel's pants, himself included.

"Okay, but most of them would rather I didn't talk, at all. Shh let me finish. I know I talk too much but let me tell you this - when you sing with me I'm happy, when you make those weird faces playing your guitar I _like_ it, I like that you've learned to lose yourself in the music, I love the fact that you sing to me, really sing. And most of all and most importantly right now I think is that this is about the fact that when I look at you I want you, every muscle-covered inch of you."

Well she'd done it, talked for a long time but he hadn't tuned out; scarily enough she wanted him, at least she'd made it mostly about the physical stuff.

"I'm not finished, I also love the fact that with you I can choose to talk or not to talk, sometimes you say more with one look than I can say in a thousand concisely constructed words. If I've learned anything from you, and I'm not showing any skill in it now obviously but, what I've learned is to shut up and do what you need to do. So that's what I want to do now." Rachel took a deep breath and opened her mouth to continue when Noah took a deep breath. "I…" 

"Shut. Up. Berry." Noah mumbled slowly as he cupped her head with his free hand, he looked at her and she felt as if she were drowning in his eyes. "I really want to kiss you." Her eyelids fluttered closed as his lips met hers. He gently tugged her closer and smiled into the kiss as she made a soft contented noise. She'd been waiting a long time for this kiss, to have his lips cover and caress, she giggled as his tongue stroked her own.

That was something she'd never expected as her nerves tingled and he skin heated until it felt like she was on fire from the inside out, she never expected to laugh with him. Never expected him to kiss her so deeply that she forgot where she was until he lifted her from the sofa and onto the soft plushness of the rug. Never expected to laugh with him when he rummaged a little desperately through his wallet and then guitar case before finding an elusive condom. Never expected him to run his hand all over her skin; pausing occasionally to test the soft skin just under the hem of her shirt and just under the waistband of her skirt. All the time kissing and nuzzling the side of her neck or her ear or tugging gently at her lips and tongue with his.

Never expected the sexiness of the low chuckle he let out when she did the same to him, exploring the flow of muscle underneath the gold of his skin, following the path of fine hair from his forearms up across his shoulders down the centre of his chest and across to his side. Hmmm ticklish, he laughed some more when she tested the theory with her lips.

"Hey no fair!" her ear was on his chest so she heard and felt the husky rumble, "Ahh…" Rachel discovered just how sensitive he was when her lips found the small gold ring piercing his nipple. It seemed only fair that his hand found her breast and his fingers teased in the same way as her lips and teeth teased his. Her hand was free and she explored some more, finding the hardness beneath the soft worn denim of his jeans. That felt big. She tensed just a little at the thought of where everything would fit and how it would feel and whether…

"Rachel?"

"Yes?" Large brown eyes met heavy lidded hazel.

"If you keep touching me that way…"

"…?"

"It would be good, very, _very_, good." His laugh managed to ease some of the tension she was feeling and heighten the _other_ tension. He rolled her onto her back and kissed her even more deeply than before, his tongue stroking slowly and creating a rhythm she felt pulling her in directions she hadn't even known existed. "Can I see you?"

"Wh…what?"

"Show yourself to me." Noah asked seriously, his hand grasping the bottom of her tee and sliding it upwards, the back of his hand grazed the centre of her torso and his knuckles grazed the underside of her breast before she let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Somehow she was naked and he was looking at her, really looking at her, his fingertips running over her skin, making her sigh with pleasure. He smiled as she pulled his head tighter to deepen the kiss he placed on her swollen lips. He marveled at the way she moved both away and towards him when he let his fingertips slip lower, dip deeper.

He waited, patiently caressing her until she tried to move away from his hand and arched like a bowstring. He waited until she opened her eyes before kissing her again and letting her get used to his weight, led her hand down to feel him, all of him and grow accustomed to his shape. He whispered that it would hurt but only for a while and to tell him to stop now, not because he wanted to but because he wanted her to be sure, to want him as much as he wanted her. She reached for the small foil packet and placed it into his hand, closing his fingers around it and kissing his knuckles softly.

She watched with glittering eyes as he prepared himself quickly and then let his hands wander over her skin again, finding the spots he'd discovered earlier and making her arch with need. It only hurt for a moment; it was more a strange feeling of fullness. And then it got better as Noah moved carefully and then more urgently.

"Damn it Berry" Noah sighed a little later as he settled the blankets over them. Rachel was too quiet, he wasn't surprised really, it was a big thing – not that way - but the experience was huge, he'd never ever wanted anything or anyone this much, in fact it was downright frightening, he'd think about it later, right now his girl was looking pensive.

"What, did I do…something…wrong?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Did it _feel_ wrong? Hell no, that, _you_ were beyond awesome. I meant you proved me wrong." He took a sneaky look at her from the corner of his eye; good she'd stopped looking so much like a startled rabbit and was starting to frown at him. "You didn't scream."

"I didn't?"

"No, but I'm guessing I'm going to have one major bruise on my shoulder here. Do you know how sexy it is that you bite?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing relating to Glee or the actors.

Thanks awfully for the reviews – I never know if I should reply or not, if you want me to actually answer questions ask me to - miff

**7.**

Rachel wasn't sure why she'd been thinking about Noah all day; she sighed as she pushed open the door of the dressing room and prepared herself for the next hour. It was usually fun to meet and greet the small groups who got back-stage tours of the show, getting to chat about the staging and the music and the orchestra with school kids was one of the more satisfying aspects of her job. It ran a poor second to actually being on stage though – as she would be in ninety minutes. Oklahoma hadn't been all that high on her list of musicals to be in, but she would never turn down Broadway. Maybe it was the fact that it was her birthday tomorrow that had her remembering her 18th.

It seemed so long ago and at the same time like it was only a few weeks since she'd last seen him. It was strange really, she supposed, it would have been natural and almost predictable for herself and Noah to start going out again after that night, but it hadn't turned out that way.

She'd watched him sleep. His eyelashes were so long and thick on his cheeks that they looked like sable fans. He looked peaceful and kind of young asleep. As daylight crept into the room Rachel resisted the urge to run her fingertip down the curve of his shoulder. His skin showed signs of the rough and tumble life he'd led, even at seventeen he had scars from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Excitement. That was what Puck brought to any situation, danger and excitement. Noah brought soft lyrical guitar and a smoky light bari-tenor with a hint of vibrato that caught you unawares, a bit like one of his genuine smiles or the satisfied nods when he caught you out being braver than you had any right to be.

But the problem was Puck still won out a lot more often than Noah, and as much as her heart and body yearned for more Rachel knew this really wasn't the right time in her life for Puck, fun as it would be. She leant down to kiss the growing bruise on the rounded apple of his shoulder.

He'd felt the goodbye in her touch. He wasn't really surprised and a little relieved that she had the guts to make the decision he knew was right but probably wouldn't have made. The time wasn't right for the world to experience the true glory of a Puckleberry romance. Romance? Yeah, this was romance; he couldn't remember ever whispering words like "exquisite" and "magical" before and really meaning it. When she let her guard down and relaxed Rachel was like the twinkle to his star. The flashes of maturity that were becoming more and more frequent spoke volumes about the poise and grace she'd have in a few years. He hoped suddenly that he'd get to see it.

In a few weeks he'd be off to college half a continent away, in a few months she'd be at college and then the whole continent would separate them. There was no room and no time for this romance. He sighed and reached up to gently twist a soft curl of her hair around his fingers.

"Kiss me again, one more time…with feeling." His smile had seemed brighter than the sunshine as he spoke. She'd rewarded with a smile and the kiss, and many more that weekend. Idly after the show she wondered where she'd put those handcuffs…

,,*,,

As she rode in the back of a taxi to her apartment Rachel hummed along absently to the radio; the cab driver seemed fond of classic rock. Finn had always seemed to gravitate to the easy harmonies; Noah on the other hand liked it a bit riskier musically speaking, in fact just generally. She caught sight of a large billboard advertising the latest music gadget. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered that Noah and Artie had something to do with this Beyond iPod third generation something or other. All she knew was that she had one in her pocket and so did half the rest of the world. Who knew math and music could be such a potent combination? The radio started to play Van Morrison's _Brown Eyed Girl_ – the song Puck had played for her on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

At home Rachel had a sudden urge to get out her old guitar. As she dusted off the case and opened it, the hinges protested a little, a pile of sheet music and a small bent pink plectrum fell to the floor. As tears welled in her eyes Rachel mused that she was in a melancholy mood. Another birthday over and here she was all alone, after drinks at the bar next door to the theatre of course. It wasn't like she didn't get offers, it's just that she was always busy, six months out from graduation she'd got her break and hadn't stopped since. Five years later she picked up her guitar to play the song he had taught her that weekend.

_This is Goodbye _by Cilla Jane, it was a strange sort of song, happy and angry and sad all at the same time. It had been perfect. The audition panel had to have felt that she really believed the lyrics as she sang. It worked, she was accepted. The rest as they say was history.

She jumped as the shrill tone of her telephone screeched through the dying chord of the song. She didn't recognize the phone number.

"Thinking of me?" She'd know that voice anywhere.

"Huh?" She answered; there was no reason to let him know he was right. Excitement buzzed through her, thousands of miles away

"Berry I know you know it's me, happy birthday, its five year plan debriefing time. No pun intended but it works. C'mon Rachel open the door it is freezing out here."

"Huh?" So much for her famed ability to talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles; Rachel was having difficulty string two heartbeats together let alone words. There was a breathlessness to his words that was infinitely appealing.

"Open your door. Jeez, singing six times a week must be frying your brain, must be all that oxygen. I'm cold, I have wine, I have ice cream and I'm on your doorstep, and dude your door guy isn't cheap to bribe. Let me in!"

The last word was punctuated with three loud knocks on the heavy wood of her 5th floor apartment door. He was here?

He was here!


	8. Chapter 8

8. A Leaning

"Noah!" Rachel winced inwardly as she heard the breathiness in the way she said his name, she took in the way he looked up from putting his cell phone into his pocket, his eyes had always been the one thing, okay one of the things, that instantly captivated her imagination. His hair was as short as in highschool, but his face had lost some of it's youthful softness and gained even more… sexy. It was the only way to describe him.

"Berry." He smiled, "Happy birthday." He handed her a large bunch of pink roses and a bottle of expensive looking champagne, while her hands were full he leant forward to place a kiss on her cheek. Rachel felt her breath still as the coolness of his cheek contrasted sharply with the heat that flooded her own.

"Thank you." They stood awkwardly in the doorway to her apartment until Rachel finally realised she was staring at the buttons on his coat to avoid looking into his warm hazel eyes when Noah started grinning. "Oh…Uh… Please, come in. You know I can't believe you remembered my birthday." In fact she couldn't believe that he'd followed up on his promise to catch up; in five years. She could have sworn he'd been drunk enough to not remember anything the last time they'd seen each other. If she remembered correctly he'd been wrapped around some gorgeous blonde thing who'd been in the bar with the old Glee Club gang five years ago. Looking around her apartment Rachel hurriedly picked up a bunch of washing and dumped it into a washing basket just inside the door of her bedroom.

"Been busy huh?" Noah asked with another slow smile as he took off his jacket to reveal a pair soft looking jeans and an untucked black shirt sat down on her sofa, he sank backwards with a sigh and patted the space beside him, saying, "Join me?"

"I'll just grab some glasses …" Rachel waved vaguely at her kitchen with the champagne bottle but didn't move. Damn it, she was meant to be sophisticated, or maybe sassy, she'd never try for cool, but something about having Puck in her apartment was unsettling at a deeply self-conscious level. She swallowed hard as he stretched like a big cat and fell into a graceful looking slouch with his eyes closed. He looked tired, admittedly it was quite late, early morning really, but he looked bone tired. Rachel's fingers itched to smooth away the small crease between Noah's eyebrows and rock him to sleep. Maybe champagne wasn't such a good idea.

"You know what Rach? Maybe some water and a couple of aspirin for me might be better, I just got out of a meeting and I have a killer headache." Noah's eyes opened a fraction and he let out a rueful sounding chuckle, "Listen to me I sound like an old dude."

"You are old" there it was - a little of the teasing tone she'd managed when they were at school.

"Which makes you old too. Maybe we should do this tomorrow morning, at a reasonable time of day… yep I'm officially totally old." He laughed again, then patted the space beside him once more. "Come sit yer old bones down here Miz Berry."

Putting the bottle and flowers down on the kitchen bench Rachel did as he asked. She let herself relax into Noah's side as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer when she perched a good foot away on the wide sofa.

"So how goes the five year plan Berry?"

She considered his question seriously before answering, "Well career-wise its all good, getting good parts in productions on Broadway, I get invited to do showcases every-so often and I teach a little at a highschool down in Jersey. Some of he kids are really talented and so hungry for something more that it even scares me. I was nominated for a peoples choice Tony as well."

"Uh huh, and on the non-work front?" Noah asked slowly, the circles he was making on the back of her hand with his fingertips was a little distracting but Rachel felt she should be at least sort-of honest.

"Well I bought this apartment, I see my dads and little sister every few months. I have a friend Tetley, we go shopping and to movies and stuff…"

"No boyfriend, partner..?"

"No, no time really. But enough about me, what about you?"

"Well Artie and I did pretty okay with our little gadget, but I got jack of all the meetings and wheeling and dealing – you know I've never really had that sort of patience – so right now I'm putting my degree to good use and teaching."

"Teaching?" Rachel looked at Noah in surprise and he shrugged a little sheepishly.

"Yeah, well they always say it takes one to know one when it comes to jackasses at school." He said, but Rachel could hear the pride in his voice.

"Noah Puckerman – teacher of..?"

"Music, plus I help Coach with the football team, we pretty much suck."

"I bet you're very popular with the female student body, and some of the male Mr Puckermann"

"I've considered putting up a security camera in my office just to put a stop to the flowers, chocolates and underwear I find on my desk, and that's just the other teachers?" Noah let that comment sink in before he laughed. "I have great sympathy for Mr. Shue. and the way we made fun of his taste in clothes and music." They both sighed and nodded. As she felt the muscles move under his shirt Rachel wondered how it was possible to want him so badly when she barely knew him now.

Noah watched Rachel from the corner of his eye, she looked gorgeous, more gorgeous every year. She owned every strong feature and smooth curve of her face, and her hair was cut in some sort of style that made it wave and twist just enough to make him want to run his hands through it to see if it would cling to his fingers. In the nine years since graduation she had more than blossomed. He wondered what she'd do if he tried to kiss her. The only thing stopping him was the thought of how cheesy it would seem, appearing on her doorstep unannounced with a bottle of champagne and some flowers, like she was some date he was trying to woo into bed on the first date. Cheesy and creepy he decided.

"Okay, well I thought I'd touch base and say happy birthday. I really should get back to the hotel. There's a group of teenagers and other teachers who need constant supervision." He hoped he hadn't imagined her sigh as he got up from the sofa and reached for his coat.

"Hotel?" Rachel seemed a little dazed. And she was, he put one hand on her knee as leverage to get up from the soft cushions of the sofa and now she almost needed to fan herself. She hoped he might kiss her, kissing him seemed like the move of a desperate woman, but oh how she wanted him to kiss her senseless with the sculpted perfection of his mouth, and run his large capable hands… Rachel decided then and there that one, she should stop reading romance novels and get out more often and two, she needed to see Noah again, just to give him another chance to kiss her.

"Hotel?" She followed him to the door as he mentioned the name of a hotel nearby. They stopped in the doorway again, a little awkwardly, again. One friendly kiss on the cheek wouldn't seem weird, in fact not giving him a friendly peck would seem rather churlish Rachel decided.

She leaned.

Noah considered that another quick kiss on the cheek would be fine, socially acceptable and all of that.

He leaned.

How the kiss turned from a peck on the cheek to a soft and satisfying smooch neither of them could tell you.


End file.
